Review of Silence (2017) by Kevyn B — 16 Jan 2017

Last night I unfortunately went to see the movie SILENCE without doing any research, except for watching the trailer. I usually don't read reviews prior to seeing a movie because I don't want to be biased. And I rarely share my thoughts publicly about movies. I expected to see a well-crafted story produced by a master director, Martin Scorsese, beautifully shot and acted, about Christians being persecuted, but who hold to their faith. Who pass through the fire of pain and suffering and death, but find hope and meaning. I expected to see THE HIDING PLACE or THE MISSION, which left me weeping and undone. But inspired. And deeply impacted. And years later still listening to one of the greatest music soundtracks in the history of filmmaking, composed by Ennio Morricone.

Instead, I left the theater feeling nauseous.

I won't go into detail about the story or as to why I believe lead actor Andrew Garfield, who is ironically nominated for Best Actor by the Academy for his role in HACKSAW RIDGE playing a heroic Christian conscientious objector of war, did not fully bloom in this role playing a fledgling priest, Father Sebastiao, struggling to hold onto his faith, becoming an apostate after being betrayed by his mentor, and witnessing gross atrocities at the hand of his Japanese persecutors. To me, Garfield felt disconnected from this role. Not so for Adam Driver. Who lives and breathes his role. As if he just walked out of the pages of history. But his role is minor. As is Liam Neeson's, albeit a heartfelt, pitiable, and pivotal character against the fish-out-of-water priest played by Garfield.

In SILENCE, through all the evil manifestations of some of the worst tortures created by Japan, Christianity appears powerless. The priests useless. The peasant converts naive, innocent, or ignorant. But blissfully so. For their own good. As many face death with more nobility than their fearful and apostate priests. It's hard not to feel as if Scorsese is saying that only the naive, innocent, or uneducated masses can believe in Christ is because of their ignorance.

And even though Scorsese portrays the Japanese government as brutal and treacherous in their rampage to stamp out a foreign disease, Christianity, somehow the Buddhist monks come out unscathed as intellectual and pious nobles.

And yet God is Silent.

And M.I.A.

Except in Catholic icons made of wood and straw and bronze.

Until Father Sebastiao becomes unhinged. On the verge of madness. Then God speaks. Calmly. In the voice hauntingly similar to that of Father Cristovao Ferreira, his apostate mentor. Asking him to perform blasphemous acts.

Which leads to apostasy.

And eventually embracing Buddhism. Or nihilism.

That, it appears, is God's will.

But wait. The last ten seconds of the film opens a door of possibility that Father Sebastiao might have still been a believer -- though now dead -- burning on a blazing funeral pyre with a wooden cross hidden in his clenched hands.

Unfortunately, that was not enough to allay the visceral feeling of anxiety and hopelessness in my gut.

What is interesting to note is after a failed opening box-office for SILENCE this past weekend, Hollywood is scratching their heads and scrambling to understand why it failed. Their first response is to blame too many movies in the marketplace. They fail to see what motivates a Christian audience. But Mel Gibson does. As he did with THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. Hollywood and critics hated that film and overplayed their hand when they accused it of having pornographic violence, while celebrating the pornographic violence of KILL BILL. They couldn't understand why Protestants and Catholics world-wide flocked in droves to see THE PASSION and to their horror -- even took their children and families.

Because it showed the realistic suffering and persecution of the One they believe to be the Son of God. That his suffering and death had meaning.

And, thus, so does ours.

It gave Christians hope in their suffering, seeing how deeply Christ suffered for us all. And it gave them the perspective for this life being a mere shadow at the foot of the mountain of joy and eternity yet to come in Heaven.

But Hollywood could not understand.

And that's precisely what's missing from SILENCE.

This could have been an amazing and successful film. If Scorsese had tapped into the deep faith that drove the Jesuit priests around the known world. Unfortunately, I cannot fathom who Scorsese sees as his audience for this movie. Christians won't sit through the emotional pummeling. And I can't see non-Christians enduring it, either. Because it drags on for two hours and forty one minutes. Maybe those who hate Christians will enjoy seeing them persecuted, giving up their faith, and dying on screen.

I cannot recommend this film. Unless y0u want to feel hopeless and nauseous after leaving the theater.

The only reason I am glad I saw this movie is that it showed me what I never want to write or produce on film.

For that I am grateful.

And that was worth the price of the ticket.